Day and Night
by annaoi
Summary: A collection of stories about Bruce and Diana, during the beginning and the end of the day. (Edit: I changed the title)
1. 8:57 AM - Post-Its

The brightness of the sun woke him up in his own bedroom, but his eyes remained closed.

"Five more minutes" Bruce mumbled to himself.

Although the dawn was getting warmer, the bed remained comfortably cooler which felt nourishing. He felt good in the silk covers and he even felt better when he found her scent - her distinct aroma. His lips made an involuntary smile as he tried to sniff his pillow gently. The pleasant fragrance was an evidence of her presence that he truly liked. Then, he stretched out his arm to the other side of the bed to touch her. But instead, he felt the bed's covers once more. Finally, he opened his eyes and saw that there was no one on that side. Nobody in the bed but him.

His brain quickly served him the information he needed. Diana was assigned for a space mission that could take days, weeks or months to finish. And her absence in this morning was an obvious haste for her departure. She was always this eager to help and so quick to respond. It was part of her job, _their_ job. Alone in his huge bed, he admitted to himself that he missed her already.

Shaking all the leftover sleepiness, he stood up and stretched his legs and flexed some of his joints. Then he called for Alfred, his butler, to ask for his schedule for today. However, nobody came. And then his brain reminded him of something again. His trusted butler wasn't in the manor or in Gotham or in the USA. Yesterday, He left for England to visit his relatives. He'll be back in a week or so.

And now, Bruce felt truly alone. But he was used to feeling it.

After a final stretch of his arms, he went on to do his daily routine in the bathroom. And just like every morning, he inspected his image in the bathroom mirror. The usual messy black hair and tired dark-blue eyes greeted him. But then there was something new. On the center of his bare abdomen was piece of yellow paper. A post-it note with a short written message. He found it strange that he hadn't noticed it earlier.

He peeled it off from his skin and read the message. Immediately, he recognized the handwriting.

_Good Morning, Bruce! _

– _D_

He smirked and, for the first time this morning, felt a tiny bit of happiness crawling in.

He set the note aside on a safe spot, took a shower, dried himself, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he headed out to the closet where the t-shirts and pants are kept. He opened the wardrobe and found what he expected, a row of shirts on the top and a neat collection of dark pants on the bottom. Then, he found something new, a piece of yellow paper on one of the gray shirts' sleeve. Another one of Diana's post-its.

_Try this one. You look better in it._

– _D _

He took the gray shirt out and tried it. Seconds after, he found himself in front of the mirror next to the wardrobe. The shirt was a nice fit. Mentally, he congratulated Diana for giving him a good advice. Then he completed his outfit with one of his dark, comfortable pants.

After that, he walked outside, traveled down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. When he reached the fridge, he saw another post-it.

_I left a chicken sandwich for you. _

– _D _

Bruce slightly raised an eyebrow. He tried to remember the time that he told her that he liked chicken sandwiches. He realized that he hadn't told her. Then he concluded that she might've asked Alfred about it before he left.

When he opened fridge, he immediately found the sandwich, enticingly wrapped in platic. Next, he took it out of the plastic, placed it on a small plate, heated it up in the microwave and then enjoyed the first bite. He moaned in satisfaction to his taste. He loved every bit of flavor and he loved the nice crunchy texture. Lastly, he drank cold water to drain all of it.

To add to his good feeling, he burped… rather loudly than expected.

After that, he made his way to the old grandfather clock to start his first business of the day. With his finger, he moved the hands of the clock to 10:47 and within seconds, the clock slid aside. As always, a secret door was revealed. He made his way to the stair case, and into the main room where his giant computer waited for him. As expected, a computerized voiced indicated his presence.

"ID scan complete. Welcome to the cave, Bruce"

Then he sat on the computer chair.

"Computer. On" he ordered.

Immediately, the big screen lit up. His case files were already open. He stretched out his hands to reach the mouse. Instead of finding the smooth surface of hard plastic, he felt paper. Another yellow paper. Another message. He peeled it off and read.

_Don't slouch and keep your back straight_

– _D_

Reading it, Bruce unconsciously straightened out his back. He chuckled at that.

He set the note safely aside and pulled the slab under the surface of the desk that held keyboard. There another post-it note revealed itself.

_I miss you. _

– _D_

Then he took the note closer to his nose and received her scent, her aroma. In his imagination, Bruce felt her presence once more, her voice, her smile. He closed his eyes and relished it.

"I miss you too" he said quietly.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I'll try to write more chapters in between my school and work. Reviews are always welcome :)_

_I'm still editing this for grammatical errors and typos. _


	2. 9:30 PM - Winter Night in Moscow

_Author's Note:_

_Imagine this song playing in the background: Look for "__Louis Amstrong 'La Vie En Rose' by KOREAN POPS ORCHESTRA" in youtube._

_I aimed for more fluff but I ended up adding some action. Will edit for errors and typos._

* * *

Diana found herself liking the band's instrumental piece more than anything in tonight playlist. The trumpet sounded nice, as well as the violin. She knew that it was what the people in Man's World called a 'classic' or at least an 'oldie'. She was wishing she caught the title once more so she could download it from iTunes later; especially that it's difficult to search songs that was first heard without the lyrics. Nonetheless, the princess settled to just enjoy it for now. In all honestly, she considered the song to be very therapeutic.

Suddenly, a noise from the comm link snapped her back to tonight's important matters.

"_Everything good there, Di?_" asked Black Canary's voice in her hidden communicator.

"So far so good" she replied discreetly, as she fixed a crumple in her sparkly, velvet gown. Nobody was looking at her which made her feel safe to fall out of character for a while.

Undercover missions are always very tedious, especially when it involves bait. In this particular mission, a crime syndicate has hired multiple assassins to exterminate Sofia Alexeeva, a Russian socialite-party girl who happened to witness some evidences of drug trades in Moscow. She was supposed to attend tonight's charity ball but seeing that it could be very dangerous for her, someone from the Justice League had to fill in. Diana was unanimously the top pick for it because a) she can protect herself well and b) she has the closest look for Sofia.

And now here she was, with a red-haired wig and thick makeup, sitting in one of the unoccupied chairs. Occasionally, she'd talk to some guests in an overly friendly manner in order to appear a bit drunk. And she had to do it all with a Russian accent. Unfortunately, the whole act felt like a chore that made Diana's energy ebb away quickly. Good thing people didn't seem to notice that she had retired in one place. However, her eyes still kept watch.

"_See anything yet?_" said Green Arrow in the comm link.

"Nope. Just a bunch of over privileged people dancing and gossiping" she calmly replied.

"_Are you sure?_"

"Yep"

She was beginning to notice her teammates' impatience. Since it was snowing heavily outside, their position isn't exactly enviable. And it's bad enough that they're on rooftop of the building across the street, experiencing the coldest winds despite their winter clothes.

"You guys alright out there?" she asked quietly as she faced the window. She tried to get a glimpse of their base across the street but the snowing was too thick to even see the details.

"_We're fine. Just kind of boring out here. It's been almost two hours and still no sign of anybody_" Dinah commented.

"_Maybe Batman had a false tip_" Ollie added.

Diana didn't answer to that. Just the mention of Batman gave a reminder of what happened a few days ago. She had raised her voice against him while he said a bunch of remarks in his own arrogant way, but she knew the words only hurt them mutually. It was just a recent fight between them. A silly, trivial thing that blew up into something they couldn't contain.

Seeing from Lois and Clark, Dinah and Ollie or John and Shayera, Diana knew that fights are normal in couples. It could be bad or it could be just nothing, but the kiss-and-make-up part is inevitable. Still, her mind worried that maybe it was enough to end it for real. And that thought alone made her very uptight lately. She wanted to talk to him, to fix things, but apparently, he was avoiding her – constantly being in missions and whatnot. The man has issues facing it and that angered her more.

"_You alright there?_" Dinah asked.

Diana was a bit annoyed with the questions. Why ask it twice?

"Didn't you ask that already?" she replied, again with her quiet voice.

"_No. I mean you_"

Diana stopped her thoughts and raised the curiosity.

"What do you mean exactly?"

"_I could see your scowl from here_". It must be her turn on the telescope, Diana thought.

And with a whisper, she retorted: "I am _NOT_ scowling"

But it was Ollie's turn to tease. "_Yes, you are. You can't hide that big face of yours. Anything to share? I'm betting we have enough time_"

The princess wanted to groan but she'd risk her cover. It's not always advisable to visibly express something while you're playing a different character. For any consolation, she imagined that Dinah would scold the archer for pushing it.

"Save your interrogation skills for the bad guys, please?" she demanded in a sarcastic tone.

That snarky order did its thing because both stayed quiet for a long time. Diana sighed and noticed that the band was playing the song again. It must be a crowd favorite. She forced a smile and stood up. Maybe someone would offer a dance.

And it didn't take long.

"Care for a dance?" said a British voice.

She turned to it and saw a tall blonde man in a simple but sophisticated tux. His eyes were vibrantly green but his nose was a bit too large for proportion. However, he is the best-looking man she's seen so far in the ball. Immediately, Diana made her best Sofia impression. She looked at him with too much interest and showed off a slightly tipsy posture.

"I would love to" she said in a thick Russian accent.

She placed her palm to his open hand and let him tow her gently to the dance floor. They danced inconspicuously and so far, she felt very comfortable.

"It's a surprise to see you here, Ms. Alexeeva" the man commented as he placed his hands safely on her waist.

"Why is that?"

"The tabloids didn't brand you for a person who goes to charity balls"

The reply was a bit arrogant in tone but she let it pass her. Meanwhile, they continued to sway to the music.

"You shouldn't always trust the tabloid's stories, Mr…"

"Burrows. Hayden Burrows" he said in a suave tone.

"Mr. Burrows" she began again, "As I have said, the tabloids can't be trusted"

"Well, you've proven that so far"

She scoffed as she laid her hands on his broad shoulders. Hayden Burrows felt strangely strong and gentle at the same time. She examined his face. There was something off about it.

"You seem like the business type. Are you here for business, Mr Burrows?" she asked.

"Please call me Hayden," he assured, "And no, I'm here for personal reasons"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Well, I'm here for someone… someone special"

"Is she one of the ladies at the buffet table?" she playfully suggested as she pointed the buffet table with a movement of her face. The buffet table where always crowded with the gossipy girls.

"No. Unfortunately, she might not even be here"

"Maybe you'll get to meet her next time"

She can feel that his movements were becoming smaller and smaller.

"I'm afraid I may have broken her heart for good" he finally said.

After that, he stretched her arms as she began to twirl. While she spun, she felt something vaguely familiar. Then her feet stopped moving and glanced at her dance partner once more. She furrowed her eyebrows and began to see something.

"_Diana? What's going on?_" Dinah asked, alarmed by Diana's sudden silence or maybe with her stillness.

She approach Hayden Burrows and saw the real man behind the façade.

"And now I'm wondering if she'll ever forgive me" he said. And he said it with an American accent.

Diana dropped her character and looked at him in the eyes.

"Bruce?"

Yes, it was him in disguise. She was sure of it. Even though the eyes and the hair looked real, his nose has some imperfect edges – a realistic rubber nose. The characteristics that truly gave him away were his defined jaw and his touch. Nobody held her so gently and so preciously like him.

What are you doing here?" she asked, but she wasn't mad yet.

The familiar seriousness in his eyes emerged. He moved closer to her ear and continued the dance. The true baritone of his voice revealed in a raspy whisper.

"Green Arrow asked for a back-up. Not me specifically, but I was the only one available."

"Why in disguise?"

"Wayne would draw too much attention"

Then she remembered her anger, the words that he said in that argument. She let go of his hand, pushed him away and began to walk away. Despite the music, she could hear his footsteps.

"Wait" he called.

She turned around to face him, intending to raise her voice once more like before. But then she saw something odd behind him. Two of the musicians in the band weren't holding violins anymore.

They were holding black machine guns. They were aiming at her and Bruce was in the way.

"Look out!" she shouted before the first few bullets propelled. She jumped to the side where the tables are and so did Bruce. The music stopped. Bullets pierced the floor. The people started screaming. It was chaos in high heels and spilt champagne. The guests ran for the exits as the two stayed behind.

Diana hid behind a tables and Bruce kneeled next to her already without the wig and the fake nose. Instead of his cowl, he wore a black mask that was shaped like his usual bat insignia - similar to Nightwing's but it's more Batman's than him.

"Canary, Arrow, the shooters are here!" she shouted at her comm. link

In the midst of the noise from the dispersing crowd, she could hear that there's a struggle in their location as well. She could hear punches, kicks and gunshots - all from the tiny earpiece.

"_We know!_" Dinah Grunted, "_We have our hands full at the moment_"

"_Duck!_" Ollie shouted as the noise intensified.

Then, it all went into a haze.

It sounds like they'll have to face these shooters alone. Normally, it's not a big problem but unfortunately, the princess was lacking the bracelets and the lasso in the moment. She had left them in her bag a few tables away.

As if reading her mind he said: "Go. I'll distract them"

While he readied a couple of batarangs, she nodded.

Bruce jumped into the shooter's sights and quickly released his batarangs with mighty speed. Meanwhile Diana flew into the panicking crowd, to the opposite direction, trying to reach the bag in time. The man with the gun evaded to the right, then batarangs hit the wooden décor on the stage where he would've been standing.

More shooters emerged from behind the stage. They're now fifteen killers. Dressed in black from head to toe and armed with the same guns. A few of them began shooting at Bruce. Luckily, he was quick enough to get away and hide behind another table. But then, they approached his direction and started shooting again. And with his quick, acrobatic movements he manage to evade.

Meanwhile, Diana reached her bag, grabbed her bracelets and wore them as fast she can. Most of the shooters concentrated on her direction and started pounding her with the bullets. But with her amazing speed and her special bracelets, she bounced off the ones that were within her proximity. Somehow in their craze, they hadn't realized that she wasn't the real Sofia. So Diana grabbed the lasso and flew high up in the air to show who she really was.

Immediately, their reactions were satisfying. They stopped shooting and marveled at the floating woman. They don't know what to make of it.

Diana took off her wig and revealed her raven hair.

"Like what you see?" she asked playfully.

Confused, they looked at each other like they were supposed to answer that. Soon after, one of them shouted.

"Don't you just stand there! She's Wonder Woman! Kill her!"

And then they did. But again her speed and shiny accessories on her wrists did their thing.

"I'll take that as a 'no'" she commented, "Very well then, time to end this madness"

She swooped down and took out one with just a punch. Some still tried to stop her but eventually received the blows that rendered them unconscious. The rest made a run for it. Unfortunately for them she was already overtaking them and knocking them out.

Soon, all of them where down on the ground. Unmoving and defeated.

The ones that went after Bruce were also in that state.

To signal a finish, he dusted off his hands.

"Well, that was quick" he commented.

* * *

On the snowy rooftop, Green Arrow and Black Canary have started packing up their surveillance equipment. While Dinah carried the telescope, Ollie collected some of his used arrows.

"Recycling, are we?" Dinah asked as the archer passed her by with a bunch of arrows on both of his gloved hands

"These are expensive. Saving them would be the nicest thing to do"

"Says the billionaire" she replied with her eyes rolling.

"Ask Bruce. I'm sure he's done the same thing with his batarangs" the mustached man retorted.

Bruce just stood there in silence, as if he wore the whole bat costume. But with a black winter jacket for the cold, his outfit still consisted of the tux and the mask. A few feet on his right, Diana, who also wore winter clothes, leaned on the rooftops stone railings. Similarly, she still wore Sofia's make up and the velvet dress underneath.

When it was getting embarrassing to wait for the dark knight's comment, Ollie moved on and followed Dinah on the way down.

Later they went up again and got the rest of the stuff. When it was clear that they were carrying the last of the equipment, both just stood there.

"Are you coming with us?" Dinah asked.

Diana looked at her for the first time.

"No. We'll stay here and watch out for more trouble"

Dinah nodded and urged Ollie to leave the two alone. As soon the door was shut, silence filled the place. The snow fell but not heavily. And like frozen statues, they just stayed there for a while.

"Are we just gonna stay here and let the cold kill us slowly?" she asked.

However there was no response. He didn't even look at her. But after a while, he started speaking.

"The things that I've said… I regret saying them" he awkwardly stated.

She knew he was having trouble saying it. After all, he wasn't the best in apologizing.

"I didn't want to hurt you" he added.

Then she faced him and found that his eyes were focused on her

"We never really wanted to hurt each other, Bruce.

She paused and then she said: "I've said some things too but I never really meant them… It was just a silly thing"

His face softened for a bit and moved closer.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"Me too" she replied a bit softly.

They closed the gap and embraced like they haven't seen each other in years. Once again, she felt his warmth… his delicate touch. She wanted it more than anyone else. For a while they stayed that way, holding each other while the snow slowly covered them.

Then out of nowhere, she heard his voice. And she was a bit surprised by it because he was singing. No. He was humming. His body swayed to his music and led her to dance slowly as he held her waist. Willingly, the princess held his hand. She recognized the song. It was the instrumental that she liked in the ball.

"What's name of the song?" she giggled.

"_La Vien Rose, _originally by Edith Piaf" he answered.

He continued to hum and they continued to dance to it. His voice soothed her heart. It was beautiful as she expected it to be.

Later on, the warm hugs became wonderful kisses under the winter night.

* * *

_Author's Note part 2: _

_More chapters are coming! Just sit tight, I'm trying to wiggle more room into my busy schedule. _

_Trivia: I was supposed to make Bruce sing the song with lyrics but FF doesn't allow that... so humming is the best I could offer. _


	3. 6:12 AM - A Can of Cream

Alfred admitted to himself that he was surprised when he saw the contents of the refrigerator. Master Bruce's usual hors d'œuvres were completely out staged by an abundance of color from the unexpected food products. Some of them are reasonably healthy and most were certainly far from being considered as nourishing. The small pack of gummy bears was the first that caught his attention. Then his eyes travelled from shelf to shelf, finding potato chips, sodas, a can of Reddi-whip cream, some unfinished Subway sandwiches, Skittles, a few of the Kinder Joys and an assortment of marshmallows.

Despite the sight, the butler didn't mind it. He found it very interesting and familiar at the same time. _When was it when Master Dick moved to Bludhaven? Four… Five years ago?_ No matter how many years it has been, it felt like it was a century has passed. Dick Grayson used to buy the same things and store them in them in the same way. Even the collection used to be as vibrant as this. It only stopped reappearing from the bright shelves when the boy, who grew up too quickly, left the manor and became a hero of his own. Soon, the bland sandwiches and the salads dominated again.

Today, Alfred hadn't considered the master's usual menu to be depressing until he saw the colors again.

This time it wasn't youth that brought the change into the fridge. It was a woman. A warrior princess to be exact.

"Good Morning, Alfred" said a woman's voice.

Diana, the princess of Themyscira, was leaning on the kitchen counter. And judging by her outfit's red, blue and gold, she has just returned from work.

"Good Morning, Ms. Diana. I hope your shift went well" he said as he shut the fridge's door.

"It was peaceful. Nothing really interesting" she replied. Her face expressed the boredom too.

"Would you care for some potatoes and eggs?" he offered as he gestured his hand on the breakfast table. It was a simple table for two, with a delicate presentation of the sunny-side-up eggs and fried potatoes with spices. There was also a pair of porcelian cups that were ready for the finest hot tea.

"Thanks" she said with a polite and cheery voice, "but I already ate at the Watchtower. Sorry, I should've called earlier"

By the crease of her brows and the shyness of her smile, the princess was truly bothered by her not eating what Alfred had tirelessly prepared.

"It's quite alright, Madame. I'll have this wrapped in plastic" the British gentleman said.

She nodded.

Then the princess changed posture and made an inquisitive face.

"Has he come back yet?"

Alfred smiled.

"Yes, he's resting in the study"

And with that, she was out of sight immediately. Alfred followed and brought the cups of tea with a silver tray, just in case.

As usual, the walls of the study were almost completely covered in tall shelves of books. Most of them were neat and untouched. But a few have started the princess' interest, much to Alfred's delight.

They found Bruce in the middle of the room. On the leather sofa, his body was slumped, his eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly opened. His face faced to the right where they could see it fully and his arm dropped to the side with an open hand touching the carpet. He already wore his usual black shirt and denim pants, but it seems he should've dress for the bed.

The butler could see that Diana's eyes were watching his master's steady breathing. It was something that he had seen several times before. A habit between the Dark Knight and the Amazon princess: one checking the other if they're still alive and well, no matter how harmless things are.

Bruce continued to lay still in sleep, as Alfred quietly placed the tray on one of the small decorative tables.

"Must be a rough night" Diana commented.

"Indeed. The Riddler almost got away with it" Alfred informed.

Diana approached the sleeping man, knelt down beside him, and gave a quick peck on his forehead that was light enough to keep him in slumber. Then she stood up, approached one of the shelves and grabbed a book. Lazily, she sat on the nearby recliner and flipped to the page that was already bookmarked by a fold.

The butler watched them for a while. Then he remembered something that took place a long time ago.

"Master Dick would've done something different" he said suddenly.

Still in the recliner, Diana turned her head to Alfred.

"Pardon?" she uttered as she turned to him.

"Years ago when Master Dick was just a young lad, he played a practical joke while Master Bruce slept"

She smiled at that.

"Did he really?"

After she made that curious face again, Alfred nodded.

"As a matter of fact, the boy's antics used to be a commodity"

Diana giggled and the closed her book.

"How did Bruce 'handle' it?"

"Oh the usual. Annoyance then ignorance-"

He stopped his words because an idea came to him.

"But usually, it's entertaining… especially when you see it for yourself" he suggested with poise.

And with that, her eyes showed brightness and her lips made the most devious smirk. She looked at Bruce with determination. Right then, the butler knew that he had unleashed something sinister.

After a moment, Diana seemed to plan something in her mind. When she was done, she stood up.

"Is the Reddi-whip still in fridge?" she asked.

"Yes, Madame"

_Ah, the old Shaving Cream prank_. In this case, it's technically the can of whipped cream prank. Alfred wondered where she had learned that.

Without time to spare, she left the room with excitement. A minute later, she came back with a can of cream in hand.

She grinned like a child and snuck up to Bruce by flight. Inch by inch, the princess hovered forward while lowering the can towards the exposed hand. Without landing on a carpet fiber, she pressed the can's nozzle and out came a generous amount of white fluffy cream. It landed perfectly on Bruce's hand. She did it while she kept watch on him. So far, the man was still oblivious.

Perfect.

To get away from the upcoming hit, she flew to the other side of the couch and landed gently on the floor. While her left hand hid the can of cream on her back, her right hand reached out, approaching its target.

Then her index finger scratched his nose.

Immediately, her hand sprung back. Her eyes watched in anticipation.

Bruce's eyebrows twitched but his cream covered hand was still motionless. Alfred could see the disappointment on her face. But knowing that Amazons' tremendous determination, he knew she won't just give up.

Again, she reached out for the nose and touched it. This time Bruce moaned with a tone that meant 'go away', but his hand moved slightly.

_Getting closer. _

She reached out for the third time, moving a bit closer than usual.

But before she could scratch his nose, Bruce lazily opened his eyes. Instantly, there was confusion on his face because he saw his smiling butler on the far end of the room, a surprised Diana on his left and a large amount of cream on his hand.

And by that, the mission was a bust. Diana should retreat and come clean or... she should do what Amazons do best: _adapt_.

Before he could say a single word, she faced the can's nozzle to him and sprayed the cream directly to his face. Excessively. It wasn't the intended execution but it achieved the goal.

And within seconds, Bruce's face became white and fluffy. The sight of it made the princess laugh with gusto. Alfred could see that she wasn't only laughing at him, but also at herself for messing up the prank and at the whole shenanigan.

Bruce's face was unreadable because of the cream but he sat up and remained silent. He scooped away the cream that covered his upper face. Soon after, his dark-blue eyes were revealed. They were deadpan. He looked at the princess with half of his famous glare. But the princess' laughs only intensified.

"Well don't..." she started as she tried to catch her breath, "don't look at me. It was his idea". She pointed at the gentleman on the end of the room. Her grin was so infectious that all Alfred could do was to follow her lead by smiling at the creamy-fied man. His master looked at him with the usual annoyance. The expression was something that the butler had to get used to when scolding him from time to time.

"Really?" Bruce uttered with a deadpan tone that complemented his stare, as opening his mouth made a funny hole on the cream that covered the low part of the face. Meanwhile, Diana forced the laughs into a low but continued to snicker.

"I'll take blame, but I have no regrets" Alfred replied as he made a friendly smile.

After getting it out of her system, the princess made a not-so-sincere apology and flew to the creamy-fied man. With her bare hands, she wiped the remainder of the cream from his face as Bruce willingly stood still. At the same time, his dark-blue eyes watched her with much focus. It was easy to see that the he loved every minute of it.

While all of that transpired, Alfred watched. In his mind, he was delighted to the fact that the 'colors' she brought didn't stay within the confines of the refrigerator.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_This had too many revisions. Not sure if the changes were for the better... hmm. Anywho.. reviews are always welcome. _

_I'll try to write the next chapter when the next free time comes. Just pray that inspiration comes to me quickly. _

_As always, I'll edit this for errors and typos, if I find any._


	4. 8:33 PM - Body Language

_Author's Note:_

_Good thing I was able to write this in one go, but I'm worried that I might've written Cassandra Cain differently. I know she received her speech in the comics (with the telepathic rewiring) but I wanted to write her before that happened. I haven't read her comics and I was only introduced to her in the Batman: No Man's Land novel by Greg Rucka. So I'm not sure if she started fighting crime as Batgirl already before the speech fix and right after No Man's land. Forgive me if she's OOC_

_Nevertheless, I just love Cass and I've always wanted to write her in one of my WonderBat fics._

* * *

Cassandra was starting to feel the fatigue as she landed on cracked asphalt somewhere in the middle of South Hinkley, also known as Lower Gotham. She was, of course, still wearing her Batgirl costume and she wasn't ready to call it a night without confirming it with the Batman himself.

She looked around and saw that the scene was the same as in most places. A few burning and demolished buildings. Debris everywhere. Police pointing civilians to the Gotham City Stadium for temporary refuge. It was starting to look like No Man's Land again, but it wasn't caused by an earthquake. This time it was a worldwide attack by Darksied.

That's right. A surprise attack from one of the baddest of the lot.

Cassandra knew who and what Darkseid is all about even before she became Batgirl but it was her first time being in an actual battle to stop him. To stop him indirectly, that is.

Like the rest of the Bat family, she had to stay here and fight off Darkseid's minions while Batman joined the Justice League to get to the boss. It was a long and hard fight. Many got hurt and, sadly, a considerable number of civilians were killed. But eventually, the good guys won and saved more than anyone could have hoped for.

After the great battle, Cassandra had heard from Oracle that Batman had returned, so she had decided to go where Oracle's computer tracked him. And now here she was, in the middle of ruin. According to the cordinates, she's just about twenty-five meters away from Batman.

She looked up to the buildings that were still standing and searched for a spot where the Batwing or a Javelin could've landed. And she found one that might be inconspicuous enough for the brooding Bat. She pointed the grappling gun to the ledge of the top floor and fired. When she was sure that the hook is secured, she pressed a button to reel herself upward. Her light body was effortlessly lifted, and soon, reached the ledge. She made a quick climb and arrived on roof

And there, as she have guessed, was the Batwing. a few feet from the nose of the black jet was a sillouhette revealed by the distant lights of the city. A costumed man who seemed to have been talking to someone on the other end of his comm link.

"This is Batman. I'm requesting status report from all team leaders" he said as two of his fingers pressed on his ear.

As she always did, Cassandra studied him while she moved closer. His voice was gruff as usual and his stature didn't waver. Batman seemed to be his normal self. His stillness proved it.

Next, he said "Any visual on team leader three?... Are you sure?"

But tonight, he's a bit different. One of the corners of his lips stretched down slighly. His fingers tensely pushed for the small communicator. His other hand clenched tighter than usual.

All of these small, bodily occurrences would have been impossible to detect for a normal person. Especially with if the person who had them was Batman.

Well... Cassandra isn't a normal person in that aspect.

Deprivation of the spoken language from her early years rendered her extremely unskilled in speech, and she's still a beginner despite Oracle's and Alfred's weekly tutoring. However, the rigorous physical training that substituted that inferiority in the past made her one of the best in reading the smallest of human actions. Now, she still reads people as easily as hearing people speak their minds. And it's helping her predict what the bad guys would do next. It was an added edge as a successor for Batgirl.

As for observing the Batman, it just became a natural hobby. One that she kept from everyone to respect the privacy of the subject.

Tonight's reading was indeed different, but it's definitely not rare.

One time was when he returned to the Batcave after a fight with a villain in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Another example was when she saw him reading a certain case report. The very last time was when he was staring at a photo on his phone.

It didn't take a while before Cassandra figured out the reason behind those tiny twitches because, as always, the clues were right in front of her.

When Batman fought Mogul in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman and Wonder Woman were with him.

The case file he had been reading was dated a few years ago. It involved the godess Circe and Wonder Woman.

Even though he tried to hide the photo in time, Cassandra was able to see just enough of a woman with blue eyes and black hair.

_Wonder Woman_

_The Amazon Princess_

_Diana._

He never acted the same way with any other woman.

Cassandra heard stories from Robin. Stories that involved Bruce and Diana. Their on again, off again relationship. They're an item... WERE an item. Sometime ago before she got to Gotham they have ended it. But somehow Diana continued to linger in his mind.

_The corner of his mouth. _

_The tense muscles._

_The clenched fist. _

It showed nervousness, anxiety and anger. But the way Cassandra saw it, his body screamed silently for the princess. Worried for her. Longed for her. And now, for the first time, his voice justified it.

"I don't care if you're tired. Find her!" he barked. Cassandra felt sorry to whoever was on the other end.

Batman's cape flapped in the breeze. His head hung low soon after. He pushed a couple of buttons on his gauntlet and spoke again.

"Team leader three, do you copy? I've sent you my coordinates in case you need to find a way home. We haven't heard from you. I…"

It was a long and hard fight. Certainly there were casualties, or at least missing people. This doesn't exclude the heroes.

"Princess... I… I need to hear your voice"

So what does Batman do when someone he loves failed to break radio silence and to be found anywhere? He probably begged his imagination not to run wild. Not the images. Not the unreal sound of her suffering. Cassandra knew very well how awful it feels.

Knowing that she was watching the whole time, Batman turned to Batgirl with urgency apparent from his one, swift movement.

"Is everything under control?" he asked.

Cassandra nodded and replied "Everything... OK... Need... Help?"

She knows he would try to find her, and she's more eager to help him in any other way.

Batman was silent for a while. But he said "No... Thank You… Head back to the cave. Get some rest"

Without waiting for her reaction, he started to climb on the Batwing. Behind the mask, Cassandra frowned. She knows he'll never give up no matter what. It was her turn to worry.

Then.

Out of nowhere.

A light flashed on the very same roof top.

Cassandra recognized it. It was what Darksied and his minions used to teleport themselves to Earth.

It was a boom tube.

Both Batman and Batgirl prepared a few batarangs to throw. A minion will have no chance against the two.

The brilliant light grew to a limited size and lingered like it was waiting for someone to have a grand entrance. A silhouette made an appearance, and slowly revealing herself. The gold and silver were scratched from battle. The blue and red, stained of dirt and blood.

"Diana!" Batman shouted, while the light from the boom tube faded.

As the Wonder Woman landed on the dusty cement, Batman dropped the batarangs, jumped down from the jet and ran to her. The princess looked tired but she was still trying to stand straight like nothing happened. Cassandra had no idea where she had come from but by the looks of it, she had just came from a warzone far worse than the battles here in Gotham.

Despite the cut on her lip Wonder Woman smiled at him.

"Sorry for the worry. I lost my communicator and I had to fight for the mother box. By the way, thanks for the coordinates, the box's memory was erased and I didn't remember -"

"Are you hurt?" he interrupted.

"No… I'm fine" she assured, "I'm healing already as we speak"

Her words were very true because the cut on her lip was getting smaller and smaller. The dark night's gloved hands held her shoulders. He sighed, confirming his relief.

And then, without a word, his arms wrapped around her.

Wonder Woman wore a slight surprise on her face but she just smiled again and let him stay like that.

On the other hand, Cassandra was shocked. The hug was unexpected but it made her see the things that Batman wanted to say.

_The tight embrace._

_The smile on his face_.

One doesn't need to be an expert to see the love.


	5. 7:15 AM - Breaking Through

BOHM!

It was just the third hit when Bruce wiped off the dusty specks of debris from his gauntlet. The white lenses of his cowl stared up to the pointy stalactites above. They were shaking and they were in danger of dropping on top of him. Instead of bracing himself from the eventual drops of terror, he just stood there. The sight just gave an idea for another cave security. One of the last resort measures if ever the intruder ever made it in the very center of the cave. He'll just have to get up there and install some explosives.

BOOHM!

Maybe next week he'll be able to work with a few dynamites. Getting a hold of them won't be that hard.

BOOOHMM!

Yep. Next week it is.

BOOOOHMM!

Bruce felt the strength of her impact. She was getting strong and stronger. The last one had the vibrations travel to the steel railings of the platform where he stood. According to his timer, it's been only a little over five minutes and already, she's been doing a lot of damage. She must be using something else to hit the exterior of mountain side that covered the weak spot. A large boulder maybe. Not bad. Not bad at all.

As always, she never held back whenever he asked her to test his cave's securities.

BOOOOOHMM!

After that loud hit, Bruce looked around and saw that not one bat made an appearance.

They're hiding.

They're scared.

BOOOOOOHMM!

He pressed two fingers onto his right ear to activate the comm. link.

"How's it going out there?" he asked while maintaining a serious tone.

The tiny speaker on his ear made a crack sound and then her voice came soon after.

_"__I'm almost there. I think I can already see the iron sheet you welded three years ago"_

He smirked

"I'm surprised you still recall that errand"

A laugh came from the tiny speaker.

_"__It was pretty memorable 'cause Clark was complaining all about that Kryptonite you put in between the sheets"_

"Well the test back then involved him. I had to prepare"

_"__Has anybody told you that you're a sadist?"_

"A lot has. I lost count"

She laughed once more. After that, he heard her heave.

BOOOOOOOOHMM!

Bruce stepped aside to evade a falling spike that came loose. The rocky cone crumbled upon impact. For a second, he regretted asking her to punch her way from the top. All of those spikes might not be there for next week. Still, he let her continue.

"What are you throwing?"

There was silence but eventually she uttered the first word.

_"__You… won't like it"_

He held his breath. He could feel the sweat sliding down his forehead.

"Why won't I like it?"

Another pause.

_"__Well, you did tell me to use whatever I have out here"_

His mind automatically made a list. So what was outside? It was the forest. The uninhabited side of the Wayne land. So what do forests have? Rocks, large boulders, trees, animals…

His eyes widened.

"It's the Ferrari, isn't it?" he spoke with a raspy voice.

No need for replies. He knew the answer.

_"__I'm guessing Tim left it here after borrowing it from you… Poor kid... He had to sneak it out 'cause you won't let him borrow it."_

Her teasing was very much evident in her voice. Bruce held his face with his palm.

"And I'm guessing that you remember the graphene I put in each of my cars"

_"__Yup. Graphene – the strongest metal in the world"_

BOOOOHM!

BOOOOOOOOOHM!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHM!

After that final hit, the spiky cave ceiling collapsed. He maneuvered away with his cape flapping behind him. The falling debris made thundering sounds. And for the first time in a long time, sunlight was in the cave. Bruce can see the shiny red of what was once the Ferrari. It looked more like a squished tin can instead of a luxurious car. The only thing intact was the graphene frames.

And then there she was… slowly dropping in mid air. There was that stern posture that she always projected and yet there was so much grace in her presence. The shiny gold and silver reflected the sunlight and soon, Bruce was staring at her like she was an angel for his rescue.

It wasn't the first time that he looked at her like that and it won't be the last time.

He'll never get over her.

Diana landed on the platform to meet him. She smiled like all she had done was drop by.

"What's the time?" she asked.

He looked at his timer.

"Six minutes and twenty seven seconds. It's telling me that I need to put a lot of work with the cave's shielding."

"As long as you don't leave one of your cars outside, you'll be fine"

He looked at her but she just smiled.

"Did I beat Clark's record?" she asked.

There was a slight pause and then… "Yes. But the difference is just a few seconds"

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Disappointed?"

"At the shield? A little bit... At you?... No. You did what you had to do, realistically." he replied simply and stoically, "But you have to pay for the Ferrari"

She laughed calmly and said, "Oh Bruce Wayne, you and I both know that you don't have the heart to send me a bill…"

He glared.

"… Just like I know you're going to glare at me"

He sighed and expressed one of his rare smiles.

"You know too much about me, Princess" he replied with a lighter voice.

"Not all about you"

"Yes,… not all" he said, putting a tinge of the warmth that he feels whenever he sees her.

They just looked at each other for a while. She wore a content face and he slightly rose up a corner of mouth to give another smirk.

"I'm beginning to feel like the cave is not the only thing I unearthed" she commented.

He scoffed.

"What are you talking about?"

He didn't want to tell her that he knew what she was referring to.

The securities in his heart weren't as weak as the cave's. But somehow, she managed to break into it and uncover another side of him that he had long forgotten.

"Nevermind" the princess uttered as she shook her head slightly, "What's for breakfast?"

"There's a good chance that Alfred would serve us something disgusting. After all, we did destroy his shiny floor" he said as he gestured to the debris-filled platform.

* * *

_Author's Note: _

_Yes! I finally squeeze in some time to write another chapter. Hopefully this ain't the last. _

_As usual, will edit for errors when I see one._


	6. 8:17 PM - How to Save a Life

_Author's Note: CaptainBeer requested a simple plot and it was just enough to give me an inspiration for writing this. (Thank you, CaptainBeer!)_

* * *

The first time Diana saved a life was in Themyscira, of course.

She was young, still naïve and so was the world at that time. She had been seeking something to occupy her time but the Fates must have decided that she should walk by that sandy shoreline under the bright afternoon. A cry for help was heard and soon she found that one of her Amazon sisters drowning in the waters, apparently after training herself for marine combat. With no room for doubts and timidity, the princess jumped in and retrieved her comrade back to safety. By the time she reached the beach, the Amazon wasn't breathing. Applying the training she was subjected to, Diana quickly performed the Themysciran version of what the modern world knew as CPR which was actually the same as CPR except that the Amazons would always use one hand instead of two. Long story short, the Amazon survived and vowed to never practice in the waters alone.

After centuries and over a billion lives saved, Diana had told this story a few of times to her comrades in the Justice League, whenever the "first heroic deed" topic came up in their downtime. The Flash had always joked about it as something related to a famous Katy Perry song, but some were intrigued enough to have the princess share a little bit of the Themyscira's culture and training. And then after that, it's another hero's turn to tell boastful experiences. And then another, and another.

The princess' story is simple but a famous one among her friends. Diana has no idea why this is but she's inclined to suspect that the scarlet speedster's joke made it stay in their minds. Still, she hoped that it served some inspiration. At least, to her it was an inspiration. Easily enough, it was a reminder of what she was born to do.

However, she didn't expect the story to happen again. It was the same feat but with a few differences: the rain poured and it happened at night. Instead of an Amazon, it was a man she was pulling out of the water.

The events before that was just another crisis in Atlantis that led to a battle under the dark ocean, which led to Batman's last piece of breathing apparatus malfunctioning in the midst of chaos. But the how and the why didn't matter anymore. Atlantis was finally safe soon after, but there was no time to rejoice. She needed to save him and she needed to do it quickly.

Diana reached the beach with him being carried away from the black waters. Still wet from the ocean and the rain, she gently placed him on the damp sand, took off his cowl and began her urgent assessment to his condition. To have a better look at him, she took a flashlight from one of his belt's compartments and flicked the switch it on. Soon after placing the flashlight by her side, she placed her ear less than an inch from his mouth and felt no sign of life. She then pressed her ear to his Kevlar covered chest.

With heightened senses, she should hear a heartbeat. She begged even to the most powerful goddesses to have her hear his rhythm… but no… there was nothing.

Eyes are still closed, the body still uncaring of the night, the rain and the princess. Seeing him like this, Diana was as nervous as she was at the day of her first 'good deed'.

It was time to do it all over again. Repeat her victory against death.

The rain started to pour a bit harder and the night only offered the blackness, but despite that, she immediately started the procedure that she was taught to do. Her right hand pressed hard on his chest. Not enough to crush it but enough to sink it a few inches. She did it with a jolting movement. It was a harder press than what mortals were capable of and an easy one too. She repeated it thirty times before pinching his nose and placing her mouth onto his to breathe into it. After that, she repeated – pressed the chest thirty times, then breathe into his mouth. And finally, she placed her ears to his chest for the second time.

Nothing.

She repeated the cycle and began to increase the speed of chest compressions in between each breath into his mouth. The more she repeated the more frantic she got. At this point, she was able to save her Amazon sister. Apparently, history isn't going to repeat itself.

"C'mon! Breathe!" she shouted to his unconscious face.

Another cycle of chest compressions and her mouth over his….

"Wake up!"

By this time, he should be awake. He _should _be gasping for air. A few minutes more and she might not see those blue eyes again.

"Bruce!"

She was pressing harder into his chest, almost giving too much force. Her voice shouted his name as the rain started to fade. Her panicked disposition failed to notice that the seas were finally calming with its dwindling waves.

_Pressing the chest thirty times. A breath into his mouth._

Every time, she felt his lips that had returned the passion in other occasions. She remembered his warm breath that fueled her emotions… Those kisses that made her heart drum like crazy…

And now her heart was drumming again but it was out fear of losing him forever.

"_Bruce!_", she screamed hoarsely and pleadingly, "_Come back!"_

The rain was gone and yet there were drops of water on the sand. They were her tears that she failed to hide.

And with that, her fury started to build up.

_You're not dying on me. Not on my watch!_

Luckily it was enough to fuel another attempt.

She opened one of his belt's compartments and found a few batarangs. Not this one, she thought. She opened another and saw what she was looking for: his pair of electric knuckles, a couple of toys that made the criminals felt more pain with his punches.

Remembering him fiddling with them once, she pressed the tiny buttons that adjusted the electrical charges. Her fingers adjusted it to the maximum charge… enough to be a substitute defibrillator.

Copying the doctors that she had seen in those medical TV dramas, she ripped away the chest part of his Kevlar and then placed the electric knuckles on his chest. Without hesitation, pressed the charge button.

The shock made the Bruce's whole body twitch, but he still wasn't moving.

_Second attempt. _

The shock produced the same results. No response.

_Third attempt._

It's now or never, she declared to herself. She shocked him a second longer. His body twitched.

He coughed up water and gasped.

"Thank Hera!" she exclaimed under her breath.

His body moved to the side, spilling water that came from his lungs. Holding down her excitement, she waited for him to expel all of the water before helping him sit up. When his breathing was back to normal, she just knew that he was looking at her with his blue eyes even though the flashlight didn't reveal most of his facial features. He would give that peaceful look that he always involuntarily does whenever she was around with him. Imagining that look behind the darkness of the night, Diana's heart was flooded by relief and embraced him without restraint.

When he pulled away because she was hugging him too tight, she saw his head tilt with an obvious question. Before he could ask it, she spoke.

"You drowned while trying to escape a hoard of Black Manta's mermen and…" She stopped, moving her gaze away from his face, remembering the moment that she found him drowning.

"They pinned me down" she continued with emotions welling up, "I… couldn't get to you in time."

He cupped her face gently with his right hand. "Don't blame yourself. Especially now that I'm alive"

She looked at him again. The flashlight only revealed his smile of reassurance.

"You saved me, Diana. You saved my life" he said as if he still needed to convince her of her heroism. He moved a little and by chance the flashlight revealed his eyes… those blue, majestic eyes.

It was the only reward she needed. Seeing those blue eyes again meant that he will always come back to her no matter what.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Ok… I didn't get enough research on CPR and defibrillation but I hope this will suffice. Sorry if there are some mistakes on details and stuff._

_As usual, I'll edit for grammar/spelling errors if I find any. _

_The next chapter might the last. Not sure though because I might get more inspiration. Feel free to suggest something for the next one. I might use one of those suggestions, but I can't promise though. _


	7. 8:55 AM - Developing a Flair

_Author's Note: _

_This was sitting in my brain for a long time. No suspense or action but I hope it doesn't bore you. As usual, I'll edit this for mistakes. Reviews are always welcome. :)_

* * *

"What on earth did you do!?"

In response to hearing Flash's distraught voice, Bruce stopped his fingers from quietly typing on the computer's keyboard and turned around to see what was going on. From the shadows that cloaked him, he could see the backs of Hawkgirl and Flash. The latter seemed horrified judging by the fact that his head was resting on both of his palms like he was an embarrassed teen. Shayera was sitting down in front of a computer screen that was big enough for Bruce to see. A virtual manikin was displayed wearing Flash's costume. But the colors aren't right.

"Green and purple!? REALLY!?", the speedster clamored.

"Why? what's wrong with green and purple?", Shayera said calmly and oddly.

Flash paused in disbelief.

"Are we even looking at the same costume!?", the speedster replied with an even louder voice, "I asked you to redesign my costume. Not turn me into an eggplant! You need to change it now!"

Wally was furious, alright. But his anger still lacked the authority that Shayera would take notice of. It proved that when she snickered. Obviously she was just messing around. However, Flash hasn't caught on yet so she took that advantage.

"No can do, Wally. Already sent it to the robot tailors", she replied with a grin.

All Wally managed to do was make another facepalm. Finally, the avian woman in yellow jumpsuit, laughed. And it sounded so satisfied.

"I'm kidding! Here's your costume", she said as she clicked an icon to show the real design. When speedster saw the red and yellow again his body conveyed much relief. But he turned to Hawkgirl with a warning look.

"Shay, don't you ever do that to me again."

Ironically, the jokester of the group was the most gullible one.

"Can't promise that. Too much fun I'll be missing out", she chuckled.

And with that Bruce swiveled back to his computer and went back to the boring part of his job. Earlier, he took the opportunity to beam up to the Watchtower and update its navigating system. He'll be finished with it before lunch but there's more work afterwards. Budget concerns were rising but it's not that the League is out of money. The funds can still cover more than enough, but some expenses need another look. Nobody wanted to deal with numbers. Nobody but him. He wasn't excited about it; he was just the only who felt the need, obviously, because most of the money comes from his pocket.

While he was typing the necessary codes for the system update, he suddenly had an idea on where he should start with the budget inspection. He looked back at the two founding members again, but his sight landed in the numbers on the computer screen. He eyed the amount of costumes Hawkgirl ordered.

Fifty pieces. All for Flash. It's his second order in this month alone and all will be paid by Wayne Industries.

Bruce squinted with disapproval.

Setting aside the codes on his computer, he quickly sent a memo to the League's email group saying that Flash should have costumes that could last for more than six months despite the constant friction to running. He then added a proposed material for the design, which was an alien fabric discovered by Superman in one of his space battles light years away.

In less than a second, Hawkgirl's computer made a one tone sound. Batman's memo flashed on screen, covering the image of Flash's costume. It didn't take too much time for both Shayera and Wally to read all of it.

"Oh nice! Bats is gonna buy me a new batch" Wally said with the obvious enthusiasm. But to cut off the speedster's joy, Bruce stood up and revealed himself from the shadows.

"Not quite", he said in his deep voice.

The two turned around with the unexpectedness to his presence.

"Do you always have to sneak up on us?" Shayera muttered in annoyance.

Bruce didn't answer to that. He continued to walk towards them. He looked at Wally.

"If you can keep your costumes from being neglected, then I'll buy you a new batch.

"What do you mean 'neglected'", Wally reacted defensively, "I treat my costumes just fine"

Bruce glared with enough intensity that Wally could take.

"Is taking your costume to a bonfire party-"

The speedster didn't wait for the whole sentence to get finished.

"Alright! Alright! Point taken! I promise I'll take good care of them" he gulped. Then, almost inaudibly, he muttered: "_No one was suppose to know about that party_"

The dark knight glared again for good measure and then started to walk back to his computer.

When Batman got back to his shady area, Shayera looked at Wally with curiosity. "What bonfire party?", she finally asked. Wally sighed and relayed the story of how he showed off again and how his costume managed to have gotten too close to a large bonfire in a Hawaiian party and caught on fire almost instantly. Shayera reacted with the same disapproval but sounded more like a big sister than a frightening being with black, pointy ears. In reaction, Wally attempted to change the subject.

"Wanna tweak Superman's costume?", he asked After all, they were there to kill time while Earth was in its peaceful state.

Hawkgirl shrugged and just said: "Sure". And then she moved the cursor and opened the files that were named after the man of steel. Soon they found the right image file and flashed Superman's iconic blue and red on screen.

Whatever they were doing to the Kryptonian's costume, Bruce couldn't care less. He wanted his work to be done soon and he wanted to get back to the cave as soon as possible to have some peace and quiet before he get a hold of the Watchtower's expenses reports.

When the new system was finally being uploaded, evidently with white bar on screen that indicated the percentage of progress, he flipped open the squarish part of his left gauntlet and started reading live police reports from Gotham. No major crime so far. No villains to be dealt with in broad daylight. And so he closed the small screen, just sat there and waited for the bar to reach a hundred percent.

Since the progress is painstakingly slow and boredom was getting the better of him, he turned around and watched Flash and Hawkgirl again.

"Hmm... Maybe we could take off his red briefs" Shayera suggested.

Wally laughed. "That sounded SO wrong!"

With a deadpan stare, she scolded the speedster's dirty mind.

Superman's suit was still dominated with red and blue, but some tiny details that were different. The edges of the sleeves, the neck collar, black 'S' on his cape.

Then the door hissed open. A certain Amazon princess strode to enter with iced mocha on one hand and the Gotham Gazette on the other. The reading material was enough to tell Bruce that she dropped by the manor earlier.

Next, she saw what was being done on the large computer screen.

"A v-neck collar? Really?" The princess' tone was deliberately impassive.

Wally turned to her. "What's wrong with the collar?"

"He looks so arrogant with it" she said simply, while placing the newspaper and the drink on the nearest steel table.

"Then how would you design it?" the speedster asked out of curiosity rather that challenging the Amazon.

Her fingers held her chin as a expression of contemplation. Soon, she stepped between the two and manned the computer herself. Her quick hands indicated that she had done this before.

The screen immediately showed the difference. Superman's costume. The cape was gone. The collar too, obviously. The blue was still there but traces of the red was on the gloves and boots. The 'S' became white and seemed more modern with the curves turned into sharp edges.

"Wow" was the only thing the two of the audience said.

Despite being silent, Bruce was also in awe. He actually liked most of the changes she made. If she had tweaked the shade of color and had ditched the gloves, it'll be perfect… at least, according to his preference.

He never thought Diana would come up with something very slick and artistic. Not that she wasn't capable of producing any ounce of creative work, but it was totally unexpected despite how much he knew about her. He realized it's probably his influence; since he had always allowed her watch him design his suits. She turned out to be a good judge of style even on other people. Maybe she was making designs of her own in her spare time.

Seeing the impressed expressions on the faces of the other two, he smiled.

He felt proud of the princess. In his mind, he refused to name himself as the one who triggered the creativity. A slight influence maybe, but not the one who put it into her. She came develop it all by herself. And with her high level of determination, he shouldn't be surprise to find out more hidden talents.

"Now that's epic", Flash commented with a smile, "I should be asking you to design my suits next time, Di"

"I don't know about that", the princess said humbly with a smile.

Then Shayera seemed to notice what Bruce had observed.

"I guess that's what you get when you spend so much time in the Bat cave"

The princess laughed softly. Flash was wide eyed and was grinning. They all looked at Bruce. But by that time, he had already wiped off his small smile. He just returned the gaze blankly.

"Well, I liked your style more", Shayera finally resolved as she faced Diana. And then she pointed at Bruce. "His style is too dark and… scary"

"You got that right", Flash added.

"What's wrong with dark and scary?", the princess suddenly defended.

Both of her friends just chuckled which just meant that they acknowledged the princess' obvious admiration for the Bat.

Then Flash got another idea. "Maybe you got a Bat suit design hidden in there somewhere"

Shayera was wide-eyed. Bruce raised an eyebrow. However, Diana only managed to shake her head.

"Nah, I'd have to get his permission first" she lightly surmised as she looked at the man in black on the other end of the room.

"Suit yourself" the speedster reacted finally, but his tone was more suggestive that she was hiding something. Shayera just dropped the subject with respect to the Amazon's privacy.

"Let's go chum. I think we're needed on the Monitor Womb".

Flash was about to say 'but' however Shayera's glare beat him to it. She pulled the man in red and yellow by his costume and dragged him out of the tech lab. When the door closed, it was just Diana and Bruce in the room. The dark knight looked at his computer's screen and saw that the progress bar is on its seventy percent.

Plenty of time to do nothing.

He got up from his chair. Walked up to the big computer screen that was previously manned by the two heroes who had just left. He looked at the Superman suit.

"Put black on it instead of the red and the blue and raise the collar to the base of his head"

The princess' warm, blue eyes looked at him with uncertainty.

"You think your style will fit him better?" she joked.

He returned it with a smirk.

"Trust me"

"Ok" she sighed and made the necessary quick movements on the keyboard.

It looked more slicker now. More modernized.

"Not bad, but I think you've just eliminated his friendliness"

Nevertheless, she clicked on the save button and put it in one of the folders that said 'beyond'.

"Want to see your suit?" she asked.

"I don't need a new design at the moment"

"I meant that I already made one"

For the second time, he raised an eyebrow. All along she wanted to show it to him privately. She opened the 'beyond' folder again and revealed a picture file.

It was definitely a Bat suit. It was still very black but the usual bat insignia was red and the cape was non-existent.

"Good design" he said in honesty.

"I knew you'll like it" she commented with grin.

He paused for a while.

"But… cover the mouth part"

She playfully frowned. "Not the lips. Anything but the lips", she begged unseriously. He reacted by chuckling.

Eventually, she obeyed.

Now they were looking at an inky, black suit that covered every inch of the skin. The only things that were different in color were the white lenses and the red bat on the center of the chest.

"Hm… you're right. It looks better" she conceded as she pressed the save button.

Bruce held out his hand and placed a small, black flash drive.

"Save a copy for me. I could start designing the tech for it later... Care to join?"

She looked at him with excitement.

"Sure."

* * *

_Author's Note: _

_The next chapter is the last one for this collection. I'm currently fixing the outline for it. _


	8. 12:00 MN - My Sun and Stars

_Author's Note:_

_Here it is! The last one! I'm too sleepy to check for errors so I'll just leave this here for me to edit later. I'm not so sure about the flow of this story. At least it's my first attempt to write something in first person POV. I hope it's not too messy._

* * *

I think...

I think I heard those words before. Maybe once or twice. It's hard to remember when exactly but I do know that Diana's mother used to say it to her. At least, that's what I think she told me in the past. Usually, I don't reminisce on random stuff and yet I find myself remembering the most faint of phrases recently. Those four little words being the latest. However, they don't actually mean a thing to me. They're just things that I heard a long time ago. And.. they're so random that I don't know why my mind brought that up now.

Maybe the night's making me gloomy.

Maybe it's just the cold weather... But that doesn't affect me.

Though, I can't say the same with the coffee on my table. It went stale a few minutes after it was poured to my cup. The waitress kept staring at me. Either because she recognized me or because I'm the only customer in this twenty-four-seven burger joint and she wanted me to leave already. The latter most likely. Can't blame her. She must be too tired and just wanted to survive the graveyard shift without customers. Don't worry, I say mentally_, I'll be a good, quiet customer_. So I just stayed in my seat and allowed my mind to conjure something for preoccupation.

And then there they were. Those four little words that emerged from the depths of my long forgotten memories of my adventures as the man of steel.

The clock still makes the unending sound. I wait while my glasses start to have mists because of the natural warmth my body produces. And then I wonder why my two best friends haven't arrived yet. They were suppose to meet me here an hour ago. Alas, no show from both of them. No traces of Bruce's shadowy presence. No evidence of Diana's brightness. So much for setting the time late to compensate to our busy schedules. The reason for them for running late could be that Gotham is in peril again. Or maybe they had an argument... again.

Sometimes, Diana just gets too worked up by Bruce's behavior. Anybody would get used to his arrogance by now, but she is just as stubborn as he is. It's probably the warrior upbringing of hers. Anyone who meets her will soon find out that she doesn't like to lose and she will never give up in ensuring that she won't.

On the other hand, Bruce is a hard man to like. To be honest, I sometimes think that he needs therapy. But then again, the world won't have its greatest detective if he got cured of his obsessive compulsions.

So naturally, they clashed.

They clashed in some of our League meetings. They clashed in some missions. And they clashed whenever one deemed the other's actions to be too foolish.

Like when he let the Watchtower drop on our enemies with him still inside it.

I saved Bruce that day but the princess wasn't rejoicing. How can anyone forget that sharp-sounding slap that he received? I didn't even need my super hearing to hear it.

"How could you do that!?", she shouted. Her eyes were in the verge of tears, her voice far from friendly.

I think that's when I figured out that there was something between them. Of course, since the League isn't always the place where private things stayed private, there were rumors about the two. Unfortunately for me, I was too focused on their differences that I didn't notice their... thing. Their spark. Only after that realization that I started to see it on my own.

It's the way he would let out that rare smile whenever she's around. It's the way she never cowered from his most intimidating looks.

And before everybody knew it, the arguments lessened and the understanding grew between them. And then something about Diana being turned into a pig happened. I never knew what exactly happened in that occasion, but the fact that Shayera and Wally begged J'onn to use his telepathy to find out tells me that there was something different about Bruce and Diana.

_Bruce and Diana. _

I automatically smile when I say both names as one sentence. Unlike what most thought, I had a hard time accepting those two as a couple at first. Mostly, because I was worried. Yes I was happy for them and I did hope that they last. But Bruce… I just know him too well. He would break her heart sooner or later. He'd think logically and say that their relationship is a dangerous. She'd still try to pursue it. And then he'd use something that would leave her hating him so much.

I really hoped that he won't. I was optimistic… but he did something... eventually.

I guess he pulled the I-never-loved-you card. Or was it the there-is-someone-else? I don't know exactly and I can't imagine what it was because I'm not known for being creative in manipulating people's emotions. Bruce has that covered.

Whatever he had done, it worked. It worked so well that she came to me and told me that she was leaving the League. One of my best friends... leaving. I was angry and felt powerless at the same time.

"Is it because of him?", I asked.

She just nodded numbly. That alone told me that she had tried everything before losing the fight.

I begged her to stay but she waved it off politely. Hugged me like she was saying goodbye to our friendship too. And then left like she never left Themyscira. As a last resort, I beamed down to the Bat cave to get Bruce back to his senses.

And as usual, he glared.

"It's her choice", he said simply in his deep voice, as if her departure never broke him. His cowl was also helping him conceal it.

"From what I suspect that's hardly the case. You never gave her a choice, Bruce. You pushed her away", I retorted while I crossed my arms to my chest.

And with that he was silent. He went back to whatever he was doing and asked me to leave. When I didn't, he threatened me with the green rock that he always carried around in his belt. Then I finally left. It was obvious he was hurting too. It became more obvious when he made himself scarce in the Watchtower. Even in our meetings he rarely made an appearance. In our few meet ups, he was still the Batman I knew but he went back to what he was before Diana, and worse, becoming someone who is beyond cold and calculating.

It was like talking to a rock with a brain of a computer.

For a period of time, I was counting on Bruce's lonely future. That he will eventually be that old guy that John Stewart told me about after that time travel incident. That old and grumpy Bruce Wayne in the future. Lonely and sad.

Maybe we can't choose our fates after all.

Maybe Diana was supposed to live the rest of her immortality in the island she came from. Maybe Bruce was supposed to live the rest of his in solitude as well.

Feeling too sad for it made me realize that I wanted them to be together so bad. _Why did Bruce have to be a jerk? He avoids what's good for him and it makes me want to punch him... Why did Diana give up? I thought she never gives up._

And before I knew it, two years have passed.

The League was still holding it together with only just five active founding members and a steady number of allies. Batman was still… unreachable. And I was still trying to see the bright side of things. Shayera gave birth to a boy which made John the happiest father in the League at that moment. Lois and I finally started dating. J'onn was still happily married to his human wife. And Wally… well… he's still just Wally.

On that one day, the speedster continued to unconsciously prove to be the only one unchanged

"Do you think I should wear a cape?"

I looked at him and wasn't really expecting that question. We were at the cafeteria and waiting for food to be cooked has made him chattier.

"No offense", I started as I gave him my friendliest smile, "but I don't think it suits you"

"Really? But it looks good on you. It should look good on me too, right?"

I sighed and smiled at his silliness. "Trust me. It's going to disrupt your running"

"Oh… you mean like what Edna Mode was trying to say in The Incredibles"

"In the what?"

"You know… the 'no capes!'"

"Oh"

Then the alarms started blaring. Flash and I headed to the monitor womb and found out that a red alert emergency was issued, which meant that someone big and bad came to Earth. It didn't take long before we found out what was happening.

Braniac. He came back stronger. And he brought an army of his replicas with him.

Everybody beamed down and started the job. It was chaos but we fought well. We were kicking butts. Everybody helped; even the ones that weren't part of the League.

Even Bruce.

He came and he did his thing. Soon, both of us were eliminating Braniac's copies side by side. And for a moment, it felt like old times. I managed to let out a smile while I was throwing my biggest punches.

But suddenly, the evil extraterrestrial android found another source of strength and over powered us. Most of League was getting injured and defeated. And I found myself pinned down by a dozen of the android copies. Bruce was meters away, getting strangled by one of the robotic tentacles. My strength was somehow getting drained. Braniac must've found a way to weaken me. Kryptonite maybe.

I was helpless as I saw Bruce struggle. I couldn't get to him no matter what I tried and then, I was horrified to the fact that my best friend will die in front of my eyes.

But then… her sword made the necessary cut.

Bruce, with the tentacle still wrapped around his neck, was dropped to the ground. He pulled out of the grip and turned to see her. His eyes widened and so did mine.

Diana, the princess of the Amazons, was standing with her classic regal stance. Her sisters were behind her, ready to aid in the war.

Her warm eyes found him and for a while they stared at each other.

"A little help here?" I called. They snapped back to reality and came to my aid. The Kryptonite laced androids were disposed and soon the villain's whole army was dwindling.

It took another hour or so, but we won.

After that it was the clean up and rescue routine. The Leaguers tended to the injured and helped in crowd control. And that took longer than the battle itself. Eventually, we got beamed up to the tower to rest and to get patched up some more. I immediately went looking for the two. It didn't take long before I found them in her quarters… talking.

He was pushing her hair behind her ear while she applied antiseptic on his shoulder. They didn't care that I was there and that I was watching them.

Days later, we reinstated Diana. It was definitely a happy time. She was hugged tightly too many times, but she never refused. She missed them too. And then weeks later, I was getting clues of their rebuilding.

First, I saw Diana writing on post-its. She said she was going to stick them on every corner of Wayne manor. Next, it was Green Arrow's story about Bruce appearing in Russia just to say sorry to the princess. Another one was from a chat with Alfred wherein he mentioned a prank that Diana pulled on Bruce. (I laughed too loud on that one). Then there's Mr. Terrific's complaint that Batman was being too mean to him when he couldn't locate Diana anywhere. It was followed by the news from Bruce that the cave was inaccessible for a while because the princess has "done too well" on his test. And then there's that incident where she saved him from being drowned. And finally, that time when Shayera found a Bat suit design in our archives. Surprisingly, the design was registered as the princess' work.

I had another clue for myself. My super hearing picked up their voices and then I heard those four words.

_My sun and stars…_

She said it to him and then I heard their heartbeats drum faster and...

...

Oh…

So that's why.

Those words aren't so random after all.

"Earth to Clark"

I see my coffee again but there are two reflections on the black liquid. So I look up, finding two people that are staring at me. Bruce showing a bit of boredom and Diana is just smiling like there was still daylight. I never even saw them enter the diner. Now, they're just sitting in front of me, sharing my table. Both are wearing coats. His is black and hers is purple.

"Shall we leave you to your thoughts?" Mrs. Wayne says, still smiling.

"I was just remembering stuff, Di" I say.

"Just tell us what you need to tell us, Kent" Bruce says immediately but not too harshly.

Naturally, Diana rolls her eyes. "Will you stop rushing? Our best friend just asked us out for coffee and you're here whining"

"Fine" Bruce sighs, "I'll stop complaining"

"Thank you" she says quickly before giving him a peck on his cheek. He smirks after that.

"Sorry we're late. Had a situation at Arkham", Bruce says, which surprises me.

"No worries. I'm still free to chat at this late of time. So… about the news, uh-"

"You're going to be a father"

Diana's eyes look at her husband with surprise. I do too.

We pause for a while.

"I still don't want to know how you do that, but you could've told me you know", I say

"You could've told _me_", Diana says.

Bruce just crosses his arms and a corner of his lips droops down a little. "I actually regret knowing about it. For once, I want to be the one that gets surprised"

His wife gives him an affectionate 'Oh Bruce' and I just stare at them, admiring how they talk and move together.

Its feels as though the day and the night merged when they met. He saw her in the stars in the night sky while he guarded his city. She saw him in the sun that greeted her in her adventures.

To me, they were what completed my hopes for the future.

**The End. **


End file.
